A further deluge of heavy rain could cause chaos on Somerset's roads in the lead up to Christmas, forecasters have warned.

The Met Office has upgraded Saturday's severe weather warning to an amber alert for parts of the county, and has also issued another warning for Christmas Eve amid fears that up to 100mm of rain could fall over the weekend.

Around 30mm of rain is expected to fall across the region on Saturday, but it could be as much as 60mm over higher ground and the weather warning is now in place until 6am on Sunday morning.

Further heavy and prolonged rainfall is now also forecast for Christmas Eve, increasing the risk of surface water, river flooding and travel disruption.

AA head of special operations Darron Burness said: "The run-up to Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year for traffic so any bad weather can have a big impact on the roads.

"Even if you know your local roads, don't be complacent, as flash flooding is a real risk with so much water around.

"Keep tuned to local weather forecasts from the Met Office and travel reports and, if it's bad where you are, only travel if it's essential.

"If you do head out, allow more time for your journey as you don't want to rush in conditions like this."

Met Office chief forecaster Steve Willington said: "Further active frontal systems will move across the UK over the next few days and we could see rainfall mounting up to more than 100mm in parts of the South West by the end of the weekend.

"The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings which means that the public should plan ahead to take account of possible travel delays or disruption, especially as they make their way to friends and family for the Christmas period.

"By thinking ahead the public can be more weather aware and better prepared for severe weather."